13-19 May Islam in Media Roundup

Maydan Editors

The Maydan is an online publication of the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University. The Maydan team is composed of the Center's faculty members and graduate students both within and outside GMU.

‘Why do I fear to go out in my own country?’ In Modi’s India, rising unease among Muslims.

The Washington Post

Muslim men offer Friday prayers in a parking lot in Gurugram, a suburb of New Delhi. Authorities designated the spot for worshipers after Hindu extremists disrupted prayers in the city last year.Read More

Sri Lanka blocks social media again after attacks on Muslims

Al Jazeera

Sri Lanka has temporarily blocked some social media networks and messaging apps, including Facebook and WhatsApp after a posting sparked anti-Muslim riots across several towns.Read More

As Saudi society liberalizes, it reckons with hardline past

Reuters

The Islamist takeover of Mecca’s Grand Mosque in 1979 has been turned into a television drama, spotlighting a controversial narrative Saudi Arabia is using to support social changes once deemed un-Islamic.Read More

Festival brings Sufi bands from the region and beyond to Palestine

Al-Monitor

Around 65 artists from 15 countries have performed in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the last month for the Al-Kamandjati Music Festival.Read More

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested a Saudi-educated scholar for what they claim are links with Zahran Hashim, the suspected ringleader of the Easter Sunday bombings, throwing a spotlight on the rising influence of Salafi-Wahhabi Islam on the island’s Muslims.Read More

Muslim women accuse Amazon of ‘harassing and hostile’ work conditions

The Washington Post

Amazon is being accused of religious discrimination and retaliation by three Muslim workers in Minnesota who say the tech giant denied them time and space to pray and routinely assigned them less favorable work than their white counterparts, according to a federal complaint filed last week.Read More

New app assesses Islamic preachers in Gaza

Al-Monitor

The app, which is currently only available on Google Play, allows users to assess the performance of preachers and post feedback on Friday sermons, which are considered the most significant weekly religious event for Muslims.Read More

Trump Hosts Iftar Dinner Without US Muslim Groups

VOA

U.S. President Donald Trump called it his “great privilege” to welcome ambassadors and diplomats from Muslim-majority nations to the White House for an iftar dinner Monday marking the end of fasting observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.Read More

The Other Threat That Both Muslim and Jewish Women Face

Haaretz

Jews and Muslims face a common struggle against white supremacists. Now Jewish and Muslim women are building another form of solidarity: jointly facing the discrimination within our own communities that denies us religious and ritual equality.Read More

Many Palestinians apply, but few get to visit Al-Aqsa for Ramadan

Al-Monitor

Israel announced that 700 Palestinians living in Arab countries would be granted permits to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan.Read More

What it’s like to see my husband’s mosque in New Haven set on fire

The Washington Post

According to police, Diyanet Mosque was set on fire, When I see photos of the mosque on fire, the mosque owner’s wife described the attack as not only on a community and the values that hold dear but also her loved ones.Read More

The UK government has come under fire from a prominent British Muslim group for its reported intention to not adopt a definition of Islamophobia that has been endorsed by hundreds of Islamic organizations.Read More

The Eurovision Song Contest has found few fans in a famous mosque in the Israeli host city, where worshippers have complained that the gaudy festivities are disrupting their observances of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.Read More

Students rally against hijab crackdown at Iran's largest university

Al-Monitor

Hundreds of students held a protest against mandatory hijab regulations they said have become more restrictive than ever. The students argue that a set of new laws imposed by university officials are worsening the educational environment by pressuring female students and provoking unnecessary tension.Read More

A shadowy UK government propaganda unit that privately declares that it works to “effect behavioral and attitudinal change” among British Muslims has drawn up plans to begin operating in France.Read More

A small Islamic school in Indonesia is providing a safe haven for the marginalized transgender community to pray during the holy month of Ramadan, its founder said on Thursday, calling for wider acceptance of LGBT+ people.Read More

Dane who wants to deport Muslims, ban Islam to run in election

Reuters

Far-right figure Rasmus Paludan, who holds stunts desecrating Islam’s holy book, is expected to win a seat in the coming vote.Read More

Austria approves headscarf ban in primary schools

The Guardian

Austrian MPs have approved a law banning the headscarf in primary schools, a measure proposed by the ruling rightwing government.Read More

Austrian Muslims to challenge school headscarf ban in court

Reuters

An organization representing Austria’s Muslims said it would ask the Constitutional Court to reverse a ban on headscarves in primary schools a day after it was passed in parliament.Read More

Australia vote: Concern about Islamophobia among smaller parties

Al Jazeera

Members of Australia’s Muslim community are worried about hate speech and Islamophobic messaging among ten political parties, including Pauline Hanson’s far-right One Nation, urging people not to give them their vote when polling stations open on Saturday.Read More

Maydan editors selected some of the most thought-provoking news items on issues around Islam, religion and public-life for you. Let us know what you have been reading. Drop us a line at mediaroundups@themaydan.com!